Nigerian film and music video producer, Femi Dapson’s success did not begin with a camera, a major music video or a seat at the table with some of Nigeria’s most powerful people.
Long before he became the founder and executive producer of Nouvelle Films, known for major music-video projects including Rema’s “Calm Down” and Burna Boy’s “City Boy”, Dapson was a young boy trying to make sense of a life shaped by financial hardship.
He grew up moving from one uncompleted building to another with his family. His father was a driver who struggled to provide for four children, and Dapson eventually dropped out of secondary school in SS2.
Yet, even in those difficult years, he had already decided that poverty would not be the final chapter of his story.
Speaking during his September 2026 appearance on Chude Jideonwo’s WithChude, Dapson reflected on the experiences, decisions and relationships that took him from those humble beginnings to a career at the centre of Nigeria’s growing creative industry.
Growing Up In Uncompleted Buildings
Femi Dapson who got married to content creator Simi Sanya in 2026, remembers his childhood clearly. He told Chude that growing up in uncompleted buildings and constantly moving from place to place was “humbling”, but he now sees the experience as part of what shaped him.
Rather than allowing his childhood circumstances to make him bitter, he said the experience taught him to appreciate what he has today.
“I feel really blessed. I was able to experience that honestly because it just made me appreciate things that I have now more,” he said.
Having experienced both sides of life, Dapson said he does not look down on people who occupy jobs such as cleaning and security work.
“When I see the cleaners, the security guys, I treat everybody with the same level of respect because I’ve been there, done that,” he explained.
His family’s financial struggles were also visible through his father. Dapson said his father worked as a driver to provide for his children, but the pressure became so much that Dapson eventually dropped out of secondary school in SS2.
That reality could have easily shaped a different kind of story. For Dapson, however, it became motivation.
The Wealthy Family That Showed Him Another Life
One of the most interesting parts of Dapson’s childhood was that, despite being poor, he was able to see what life looked like for people who had considerably more. On his street was a wealthy general whose son became his friend. Visiting their home exposed Dapson to things he had never experienced.
He recalled having toast bread for the first time in the family’s house. When his friend offered him two slices with a glass of milk, he was surprised by how different the experience felt. He also noticed that his friends had bicycles, drivers and other comforts that his own family could not afford. But instead of simply feeling jealous, Dapson said those experiences showed him what was possible.
“I’ve always known what I wanted right from small,” he said.
He knew he did not want his own children to grow up experiencing the same struggles.
“I just know that I don’t want to put my own children through this and I need to make money to enjoy the good things of life,” he explained.
That desire also influenced the people he wanted around him. Dapson jokingly recalled his childhood thinking: “I’m poor. You are poor. Our family is poor. Why are we friends?”
Behind the humour was a serious philosophy he would carry into adulthood. He believed strongly in the power of relationships and the influence of one’s environment.
“Show me your friends, I’ll tell you who you will become,” he said.
For him, being around people who had already achieved things he wanted for himself could expose him to possibilities he might otherwise never have imagined.
From Cleaner To The Office At Winners’ Chapel
Dapson’s journey into the working world was not glamorous. He did several jobs, including cleaning, cutting grass and washing cars. Even when he eventually got an office job, he continued looking for ways to earn extra money.
He recalled that while working Monday to Friday, he would spend his weekends washing cars around pastors’ homes. It was simply how he survived. He added: “I don’t like being idle.”
His determination eventually took him to Winners’ Chapel, where he started as a cleaner and worked his way into an office position. Dapson said he worked there for about three years and eventually became an assistant to the secretary of Bishop David Oyedepo.
The experience gave him exposure, discipline and a different level of confidence. He also credited the environment with reinforcing some of the principles he already believed in, including the importance of positive thinking and giving.
Even when he had very little, Dapson said he enjoyed giving. He recalled giving away even his toothbrush in church, explaining that his belief was that giving would eventually bring a return.
For him, however, the lesson was bigger than church.
“It’s not really about going to the church. It’s about principles of life,” he said. “Giving is receiving. The more you give, the more you receive.”
He Taught Himself How To Use A Computer
Dapson’s rise within Winners’ Chapel was also helped by a skill he had acquired without formal training. He said some of his cousins had given them an old desktop computer when he was younger, and he taught himself how to type and use it.
That became useful when he applied for an office position at Winners’ Chapel. Dapson’s approach to learning was simple: if a person could read and write, they could teach themselves almost anything. In his words:
“Some of our cousins, they gave us this big ass desktop. I think it was something like those big desktop. And then I’ll just learn to type myself, because I strongly believe that if you can read and write, you can teach yourself anything. That’s the part I’ve always lived by, you know, to drive, to play the keyboard, to play the guitar, just learn by yourself.”
He applied that belief to several areas of his life, saying he taught himself skills ranging from driving to playing musical instruments. That willingness to learn independently would later become important when he entered the creative industry.
Why He Walked Away From A Comfortable Life
Perhaps the biggest surprise in Dapson’s story is that he did not leave Winners’ Chapel because he had failed. He left because he feared he was becoming too comfortable.
By that point, he was working at a high level within the church despite not having a university degree. He was dressing formally, meeting influential people and even interacting with presidents. From the outside, it looked like he had made it. For Dapson, however, that was precisely the problem.
“I had to leave Winners, honestly, because I was like, if I stay here, I’ll get comfortable,” he said.
He knew he wanted more financially and professionally, and he believed remaining in a comfortable position could prevent him from finding it.
“I was already working at the highest level of church. No uni degree. I was already getting too comfortable. I was wearing ties. I was meeting with presidents,” he recalled.
Then came the decision to leave.
“The job was… omo. Don’t get carried away, o. You need to go.” So he left.
From Meeting Presidents To Cleaning In Lagos
Leaving a comfortable position did not immediately lead to the glamorous career he has today. Instead, Dapson moved to Lagos and worked as a cleaner for a period. It was another humbling chapter in a life that had already seen him work several difficult jobs, but he did not stay there for long.
One day, he saw a job advertisement in a newspaper and decided to apply. When he arrived for the interview, he realised he was competing with candidates who had BSc degrees. Dapson did not allow the difference in qualifications to intimidate him. He relied on something else: his confidence and ability to convince people of what he could do.
“I know how to make mouth,” he joked.
He told the interviewers about his experience at Winners’ Chapel and explained how his skills could make their work easier.
“They were so happy about it,” he recalled. That approach helped him secure a junior editor role. It was another example of Dapson finding a way forward despite not having the conventional credentials many employers were looking for.
The Power Of People Capital
As his career developed, Dapson became increasingly intentional about the people around him. He described this as having “more people capital”. He said he is naturally observant and does not necessarily talk the most when he enters a room. Instead, he watches. He said:
“When I look in this room, I like when everybody talks. I’m a very… I don’t really talk. I just calm down, observe.”
That observation also extends to how he thinks about relationships. Dapson said he often thinks five years into the future. He explained:
“When somebody is talking to me, I’m thinking, in the next five years, what’s it going to look like?.”
That means that when he meets someone, he may already be considering what that relationship could become years later. He is also guided by what he described as “vibe” and “spirit”, i.e the feeling or energy he gets from people. But he stressed that while he is kind to everyone, he does not open himself up to everyone.
This approach to relationships became an important difference between his own journey and that of his father.
His Father Died Poor, & Success Made The Loss Harder
Dapson’s story took a painful turn when he spoke about his father’s death. His father had cancer and was sick for a long time. During the illness, Dapson was still struggling financially. He remembered turning to Twitter to ask for help with his father’s treatment.
At one point, someone sent him ₦100,000 twice before blocking him when Dapson returned to ask for more help. It was a desperate period.
Dapson believes things might have been different if he had already reached the financial position he occupies today.
“If it was this period, my father was sick… of course, I would have even done something,” he said.
His father’s death became even more painful after Dapson began making money. It was not simply that he had lost his father. It was the realisation that the resources he later had were resources he desperately wished he had possessed while his father was still alive. He imagined what he could have done for him if he had reached that level earlier. That experience also shaped the way he viewed poverty.
“My father died poor,” Dapson said. “So I’ve seen it play out.” He remembered that his father had spent much of his life wishing for financial comfort. For Dapson, that became another reason to keep pushing.
From Poverty To The Centre Of Africa’s Creative Movement
Today, Dapson is far removed from the uncompleted buildings, cleaning jobs and financial struggles of his childhood. As the founder and executive producer of Nouvelle Films, he has worked on major music-video projects involving some of Africa’s biggest artistes. His production credits include Rema’s “Calm Down”, Burna Boy’s “City Boy”, Rema’s “Charm” and Kizz Daniel’s “Cough”.
“Calm Down” went on to win Best Music Video at the 2023 Headies, further establishing Dapson’s reputation in the industry. But despite the visibility that has come with his career, Dapson does not appear interested in treating his current position as the final destination.
Conclusion
When asked about how it felt to be at the centre of what he described as Africa’s biggest cultural movement, Dapson’s answer was surprisingly calm.
“Blessed,” he said.
But he quickly made it clear that he does not allow his current position to consume him. “I don’t get carried away by where I am right now,” he said. Instead, he is already thinking about what comes next.
“In my mind, I don move,” he joked. What he meant was that he does not mentally settle into one achievement before looking ahead. He described his mindset simply: “What’s the next thing?” Even when pressed for a hint about his next move, he chose not to reveal much, only saying that there were “so many things in the works”.
That attitude perhaps explains one of the biggest themes running through his story. For someone who has gone from uncompleted buildings to meeting presidents, from cleaning jobs to producing some of the biggest music videos in Africa, Femi Dapson still does not believe he has arrived.
“I’m still scratching the surface,” he said. And perhaps that is what makes his story less about where he has reached and more about the mindset that kept him moving.
